(P30-032-23) Fruit and Vegetable Supplemented-Diet Ameliorates Dextran Sodium Sulfate (DSS) -Induced Colitis by Modulating Gut Microbiome and Host Immune Response

Objectives: The impact of a diet supplemented with fruits and vegetables on Dextran Sulfate Sodium (DSS)-induced colitis was evaluated using a translational animal model.

Methods: Thirty, six-week-old female pigs were fed an isocaloric grower diet alone (control) or supplemented with lyophilized fruits and vegetables (FV) equivalent to the half (Half-FV) or full (Full-FV) daily recommended amount for humans per the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA). After three weeks on these diets, pigs were orally treated with 4% DSS for 10 days to induce colitis. Clinical signs were subsequently observed for four days before the end of the intervention. Proximal Colon (PC) intestinal contents and mucosal tissue samples were collected for gut metagenome, tissue transcriptome and histopathological analysis.

Results: DSS treatment induced sub-clinical colitis with alteration in PC morphometry, increased mucin production and reduced PC microbiome diversity with changes in bacterial metabolic function. Pigs with Full-FV dietary supplementation showed some level of protection / amelioration of DSS-induced PC mucosal damage with no alteration in crypt depth, minimal differential gene expression, better intestinal permeability relative to DSS-positive control group (DSS-control) and no change in bacterial diversity when compared to non-DSS treated pigs (control). After DSS challenge, pigs with Half-FV supplementation showed similar histopathological and transcriptomic changes to DSS-control group, but without alteration in bacterial diversity relative to the control group.

Conclusions: These results suggested that a three week-Full-FV supplemented diet modulated the large intestine microbiome composition and mucosal transcriptomic response with amelioration of inflammation in a chemically induced colitis model.

Funding Sources: This work was supported by U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service project 8040-51530-058-000-D to G.S-A.